Slang Words that Start with I
In this lesson, we cover essential American slang starting with letter I with examples. In general, slang are used mostly in casual street talks among Americans such that even international (non-native) speakers living in the USA can not understand them. Thus, you may use slang in your daily casual conversations especially with Americans. Just be careful and do NOT use slang in formal conversations like job interviews or business meetings.
Slang Recap
In our previous lesson, we covered American Slang Beginning with H.
List of American slang Words that Start with I
icky: not good; very unattractive.
Christine decided not to walk into the muddy water saying it looked too icky and smelly.
I.D. : an abbreviation for “identification.”
You will need a student I.D. if you want to get into the football game for free.
iffy: questionable; uncertain.
Whether or not the project will be completed on time is kind of iffy at the moment.
in: participating; a part of a group effort. (used with “be” and “count (one) in”)
If everyone wants to get a pizza, then I’m in. (You can count me in.)
in a jiffy: very fast.
I’ll have your order to you in a jiffy.
in line for: next.
Nguyen is in line for a big promotion at work.
in no time flat: very quickly.
We ordered some Chinese food and it was delivered in no time flat.
in one piece: all together; intact; without injury.
Somehow 20 people came out of the burning airplane in one piece while 145 others died.
in one’s pocket: to have a person’s loyalty.
Jennifer used to be in Pablo’s pocket, but now she’s seeing other guys.
in the loop: to have information that others might not have; to have some degree of power or influence.
I’m no longer in the loop at work.
in the doghouse: in trouble; to experience a lot of difficulty with another person.
I’ll be in the doghouse if I don’t bring my wife flowers on Valentine’s Day.
in the money: to suddenly have a lot of money.
After her uncle died and left a big inheritance, Lee was in the money.
in the works: something that is being planned right now; as we speak.
The boss doesn’t want to give us all the details right now, but he says that something big is in the works.
IOU: a note promising the payment of money–stands for “I owe you.”
Bedros wrote his landlord an IOU when he couldn’t pay the rent.
Next Slang Lesson
In our next lesson, we will cover American Slang Beginning with J.
Related Slang Lessons
None
English Slang Outline
If you wish to see all HiCafe lessons related to English slang, you can visit the Popular and Practical American Slang page.
English Fluency Resources
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